The Sphere: The Phantom of the West Rim

by Fandy Adams

  The common life was restored on him. Everything still the same like the last time he remembered, nothing had changed. He still passed the usual path to get to school with the same short-haired girl he always by, people walking around with ordinary fashion and routines of his own world and he got his shoe hidden at break time and like always, the culprit had to deal with Asti for what they’ve done.

  However, the journey to Spheria made everything felt little different to him now. All he had through there, fears and excitement, joy and sorrow, enmity and friendship, hunted down by the beasts till fought the giant, visits the great city of Lucretia till the darkness inside the great worm, stepped marble floor and green garden of Ishtar Grove till hit the cold stones of ruined castle where evil lies. All like the dream had passed, but still unforgotten.

  He felt glad but also sad at the same time for being apart with Aska, Eorin and the others. But this is his world and he had a life to continue. However he brought something from there, something from the journey he had, a little courage that he will lives his life with that. And one promises about the girl who is now standing not far in front of him. A beautiful girl stood alone waiting for someone with blazer keeps on her arm. Every now and then she smiled and greeted her friends who passing by and said hello.

  Rey then muttered to himself as he looked at the sweet smile of the girl, and his eyes filled with yearning as if never seen that smile in thousands season that has passed.

  “Mel, I just wanted to say ..., you might already know that …, you know first time I see …, hey what about the cactus? Do you like it? I left it while climbed your fences, it isn’t hard though.” said Rey sighed “Geez, I hope talking to you isn’t so hard like this.”

  The girl looked at him with soft gaze and smiled. For the first time he have courage to look at her and for the first time he ever realized how much he is in her life, maybe not as someone special but he always there, live among good and fond memories of her.

  “Hh-hi!” said Rey nervous.

  “Hi!”

  Rey then stood beside her. It seemed the fate had give him a chance to him but instead of talked to her he just stood nervous and awkward. No word has spoken for her.

  “Where’s Asti? Did you always together?” asked Melody first.

  “She’s been hold inside and she told me to wait here.” answered Rey.

  Rey paused for a moment to grasp the Black Sphere in his pocket. It was reminding him of what was he going through there, hunted by dragons and beasts of another realm, almost been killed by cold-blooded killer and survive against malignant giant. He had conquered all fears to small measure of courage. Nevertheless, he ever confined inside the giant worm, envisages himself trapped in dark and cold place where no one could ever found his bone. But now he stood relishing the warmth and brightness of the sun, the wind blew in gentle breezes and he breathe with relief, and at this present he could see the girl he loved standing under yellowish green canopy tree looking at him with soft gaze and spoke to him. After many things he had through, it would be foolish for him if he does not speak a word to her, beside he had promised to that crazy old man that he would say his feeling to her when he come back home. Rey then took deep breath and embraced himself to speak to her.

  “Hi!”

  “Hi again.” said Melody. She chuckled when heard him say ‘hi’ twice.

  “Mel!”

  “Yes?!”

  “You know, we have been friends since junior high … and to be honest I felt we didn’t know each other. I have thought maybe we could go together, you know get into cinema or couple of coffee, or juice maybe.”

  However, after he said that her reaction was unexpected, worse than the worst things he could imagine – the girl frowned and gave him strange look as if he had asked her for a freak show. He wondered which part of his words that sounds odd. Suddenly the situation turned awkward for him, even the mean girls in the school wouldn’t react like that, at least ignored or mocked by them feel better than what he got from Melody now.

  Saved by the bell as they usually said, but this one was literally, for the bell which had saved him was come from the red car which usually picked her up. He didn’t know whether to be happy or hurt. The girl smiled slightly while saying goodbye to him, but before she enters the car the girl paused for a moment staring at him with soft glance, “Thanks for the cactuses anyway, and the gun. That’s … cute.” said her with sweet smile on her face. “See you tomorrow.”

  The girl went on but Rey just stood there mesmerized among falling leaves as if that moment, that sweet smile had always been there, still before his eyes. Until Asti knocked his head and broke his daydream.

  “What the hell is that? I thought you want to ask her out?” Asti look upset.

  “Indeed I am.”

  “No, what I heard was you said something weird, like in that fantasy movie, eleu nelei, bleh, bleh, bleh, something like that. No wonder she ran away, what was that anyway?”

  “Vvhaaat?” said Rey shocked when heard that.

  “Don’t make a face like that, your face look silly already.” said Asti. Then he walked.

  However Rey halted behind and with excitement and wonder he took the black Sphere in his pocket. There he found a point of light inside the black Sphere, grew bright like morning star in the blackness. He smiled, as if he just found new adventure.

  “Let’s go home!” cried Asti.

  “O-Okay.”

  Epilogue

  The forest was young and green, looks bright under clear sky. From the woods the old man came out. It was Morran, walked slowly and he carried a sack of food tied in his staff. He looks enjoyed everything he seen and his steps very light on the grass. Sometimes he look crazy, later he got confused and being fool and not often he got tears especially for the sun, many trees he hugged and he sniffing to the flowers and ate it. He walked directionless, had no plan or nowhere to go.

  This morning when he guarding the house to protect those children a group of man came, he recognized them as Ishtar Royal Army, though their armor and helmet slightly different from his time. Morran then fought and beat them till someone with rectangular spaulders stopped them and halted him. For a while he hold his magic as the captain talk to him, she told to him that they were ordered to check this village if there’s any survivor left and she brought the news about their victory on the castle. Morran didn’t say a word, only asked about Scarlett and Rey and the man who brought them but the captain didn’t have information about them, and he rarely speak about himself when she asked him. Then he demanded to her to protect those children inside and do her best to find their parent. After the woman gave her word he leaves into the forest.

  Now, after he wandering or might be lost in the forest he got himself on the vast green plain. The sun has climbed down and the golden light gleamed on the green plain. Black mark was seen everywhere on the stretching plains. Seemed there was a battle and their flame was raging there.

  The old man then walked aimlessly on the plains and he humming with lyrics that sounds garbled. And after walked for few minutes he finally saw something in the distance. It was dark and seemed big, and bulged in the middle of plains. At first he thought it was rock or wood which deliberately placed there for fun. But after observing closely what it was, he laughed and deliriously happy. The creature he remembered in the great moment in his life, when the war had on all four nations. One of the Dragon Rider from Ishtar Kingdom had saved him in the past and he looked it in awe when the dragon soaring into the sky with the vast dark wings stretched.

  The man walked silently from behind with light steps and tongue out, looks very crazy and naughty. And when he close enough the old man jumped to the dragon’s back. The Wyvern startled and at once it leaped to fly into the sky.

  “Oh Wyvern, the mighty dragon, Lord of Fire and Sky, now you’re under…, umm, my power, my knowledge, my control, what the best words for this,” said Morran thinking hard, and then he raised h
is staff and shouted again. “Oh Wyvern, the mighty dragon, Lord of Fire and Sky, now you’re under my legs, I command you to fly to Runeglade, where knowledge carved on their walls and floor.”

  The Wyvern of course, flying by their own instinct and wildness but Morran thought that the dragon flying following his command. Now the sky wonderfully stretched red above the land and they flew to the northwest where the sun about to set.

  “Hey I can see my mom’s house from here … well, it’s not.”